Hinge



Nov. 1, 1955 E. H. MAY 2,722,034

- HINGE Filed May 27, 1952 2?@ 32 a 35 5377 2) fil/5 //f? ZZ ZZ @"Z' DE@ 7 :525.2 :Fg 5

Innen/074 United States Patent O HEGE Ellwood H. May, Sheboygan, Application May 27, 1952, Serial No. 290,255

6 Claims. (Cl. 16-171) This invention relates to a separable hinge.

It is an object of this invention to provide a separable hinge of novel construction which permits the separable hinge parts to be freely adjusted throughout an arc of substantially ninety degrees without liability of becoming disconnected.

Another object of this invention is to provide a separable hinge of novel construction which permits the hinge parts to be freely adjusted in a manner which insures against, binding betweenjthe hinge parts as they are adjusted. Y p

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred form thereof, which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing to indicate the principles and mode of operation of the present invention.

In the drawing:

4ice

24 and 25 for receiving screws 26 and 27 (Fig. 5), by means of which the adjustable hinge member 22 is attached to an adjustable panel 28. At one end, the adjustable hinge member 22 intermediate its sides is bent at a right angle to provide a depending leg 29. At the lower end of the leg 29 the adjustable hinge member 22 is bent at a right angle to provide a tongue 30 which extends outward from the leg 29 parallel with the flat mounting portion 23 of the adjustable hinge member 22. Due to the thickness of the material of the adjustable hinge member 22, there is provided a curved outer surface 31 of appreciable extent at the bend between the depending leg 29 and the tongue 30. The width of the tongue and depending leg portions 30, 29 of the adjustable hinge member 22 is less than the space between the end walls 18 and 19 of the elongated hole 15 in the stationary hinge member 10, so that they may be inserted freely into this Figure l is a front View of the adjustable hinge rnember of the hinge of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an end view, viewed from the right in Fig. 1, of the adjustable hinge member shown in Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a front view of the stationary hinge member which is adapted to cooperate with the adjustable hinge member shown in Fig. 1 to provide a complete hinge in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 4 is an end view of the Fig. 3 hinge part;

Figure 5 illustrates the manner in which the adjustable hinge member of Figs. l and 2 is attached to the fixed hinge member of Figs. 3 and 4 for mounting an adjustable panel, which carries the adjustable hinge member, onto a base, which carries the stationary hinge member;

Figure 6 shows the parts of Fig. 5 after the attachment of the separable hinge members and with the adjustable panel fully retracted against the base; and

Figures 7, 8, 9 and 10 are fragmentary sections through the hinge showing the successive positions of the hinge members as the adjustable hinge member is adjusted angularly about the stationary hinge member away from its fully retracted position, shown in Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawing, the stationary hinge member is a at plate 10, here shown as having a pair of spaced mounting holes 11 and 12, through which screws 13 and 14 are adapted to extend for fixedly mounting this plate on a supporting base (Figs. 5 and 6). Toward one end the plate is formed with an elongated, rather narrow, rectangular hole 15 extending a substantial distance across the plate 10. This hole is defined by spaced, parallel front and back walls 16 and 17, which extend perpendicular to the plane of the at plate 10, and spaced, parallel end walls 18 and 19, which likewise extend perpendicular to the plane of the flat plate `10, aswell as perpendicular to the respective planes of the parallel front and back walls 16 and 17. Due to the appreciable thickness of the plate 10, the front wall 16 at the elongated hole 15 in the plate 10 provides separate, well defined upper and lower front edges 20 and 21 (Fig. 4).

The adjustable hinge member 22 has a relatively long,

at mounting portion- 23-provided with a pair of holes A hole in the stationary hinge member. The thickness of the material of the adjustable hinge member is less than the space between the front and back walls 16 and 17 at the hole 15, so that the tongue and depending leg 30, 29 thereof are received in the hole 15 in the stationary hinge member 10 so as to be capable of considerable lateral movement or play therein between the front and back walls 16, 17 of this hole in the hinge member 10, as best seen in Fig. 5.

At opposite sides of the tongue 30 the adjustable hinge member 22 is formed with parallel depending legs 32 and 33, which extend downwardly from the flat mounting portion 23 at an angle substantially less than ninety degrees. These legs 32 and 33 terminate below the Hat mounting portion 23 short of the tongue 30 and present aligned lower inner edges 34 and 35 which are disposed just beyond the front face 29a of the depending leg 29. The legs 32, 33 also present aligned upper outer edges 36 and 37 which are disposed beyond the respective inner edges 34 and 35 in the direction in which the tongue 30 extends. Between the respective edges 34, 36 and 35, 37, the legs 32 and 33 at their respective outer ends have flat bearing faces 33 and 39.y Between the tongue 30 and the respective legs 32 and 33 the adjustable hinge member 22 is cut away at 40 and 41.

One practical use on the hinge of the present invention is for mounting an adjustable top for a drafting table onto the supporting frame of the table. Obviously, however, the hinge is not limited in its practical utility to this particular application, but is of general utility where a hinge having the characteristics of the present invention is desired. Therefore, the following description of this particular practical use of the present hinge should be considered as merely illustrative and not as limiting the present invention to this particular use.

The stationary at hinge member 10 is shown in Figs. 5 and 6 as being attached to the top of the stationary frame 42 of a drafting table with the elongated aperture 15 positioned completely beyond the forward edge of this framework. The adjustable hinge member 22 is attached to the under face of the adjustable top 28 of the drafting table with its fiat mounting portion 23 Hush against the under face of the top 28 and its tongue 30 and legs 32 and 33 in spaced relation therefrom.

Initially, to assemble the adjustable top 28 onto the support frame, the top is held as shown in Fig. 5 to position the tongue 38 perpendicular to the stationary hinge member 10. The top is then lowered to displace the tongue 30 from the dotted line position in Fig. 5 to the full line position, to thereby insert the tongue 30 into the hole 15 in the stationary hinge member 10. The top 28 is then turned (clockwise in Figs. 5 and 6) to be lowered toward the support frame 42 until it occupies the horizontal position shown in Fig. 6.

Having thus been assembled onto the spport'f'rame'42,

' 3 the top may be adjusted to any desired angular position, short of a vertical position, by means of the novel hinge construction of the present invention. The hinge construction is such that the hinge parts cannot be disconnected until the adjustable hinge member 22 has been turned to be substantially perpendicular to the stationary hinge member 10. At any intermediate angular location between the substantially parallel disposition of the hinge members (Fig. 6) and a perpendicular disposition of the hinge members (Fig. the hinge members cannot be disconnected.

And when the adjustable hinge member 22 is turned angularly with respect to the stationary hinge member the legs 32 and 33 insure against binding or locking of the hinge members and permit the free turning of the adjustable hinge member. l

Referring to Figs. 7-10, when the adjustable hinge member 22 is turned (counter-clockwise in the drawing) away from the Fig. 6 position to tilt the table top 28 upwardly away from the frame 42, initially the inner edges 34 and 35 on the legs 32 and 33 of the adjustable hinge member 22 bear against the flat upper face 43 of the stationary hinge member 10 just beyond the elongated hole in the stationary hinge member, these edges 34 and 35 defining a pivot about which the adjustable hinge member 22 is turned initially with respect to the stationary hinge member 10.

After the adjustable hinge member 22 has been turned a predetermined amount about 'this pivot the flat bearing faces 38 and 39 at the outer ends of the legs 32 and 33 on the adjustable hinge member abut fiush against the face 43 of the stationary hinge member 1f) (Fig. 8). The turning force exerted on the adjustable hinge member also causes the front face 29a of its leg 29 to engage the upper front edge 2i) at the elongated hole 15 in the fixed hinge member 10.

Thereafter, as the adjustable hinge member 22 is continued to be turned in the same direction, the upper front edge of the elongated hole 15 in the stationary hinge member defines a bearing surface along which the front face 29a of the leg 29 on the adjustable hinge member 22 slides. At the same time, the outer edges 36 and 37 on the legs 32 and 33 of the adjustable hinge member slide across the fiat face 43 on the stationary hinge member 10 in front of the elongated hole 15 therein (Fig. 9). This action insures that the tongue Sii on the adjustable hinge member 22 is maintained spaced from the lower front edge 21 at the hole 15 in the fixed hinge member lil while the curved outer surface 31 at the bend between the depending leg 29 and the tongue 30 on the adjustable hinge member moves up past the back wall 17 at the elongated hole 15 in the fixed hinge member 10 (Fig. 9). This prevents binding of the hinge members which might otherwise occur due to this bent portion at 31 between the depending leg 29 and the tongue 30 becoming wedged in the hole 15 in the stationary hinge member 1G.

After the bent portion at 31 of the adjustable hinge member 22 has passed out through the hole 15 in the stationary hinge member 16 there is no longer any possibility of binding between the hinge members. The adjustable hinge member 22 may be continued to be turned in the same direction until it reaches the Fig. l0 position, in which it is disposed almost perpendicular to the stationary hinge member 1). When thus disposed, the adjustable hinge member 22 may be separated from the stationary hinge member 10 by lifting the adjustable hinge member to pull the tongue 30 out through the hole 15 in the stationary hinge member.

In retracting the adjustable hinge member 22 from its open position (Fig. l0) back to its fully closed position (Fig. 6) the .same actions occur in the reverse sequence. Thus, vthe outer edges 35 and 37 on the bearing llegs 32 and 33of the adjustable `hinge member 22 initially engage the upper surface 43 on the stationary hinge memberl audcause the front lface 29a of the depending .le'g

29 on the adjustable hinge member to engage and slide across the upper front edge 20 at the elongated hole 15 in the fixed hinge member. The tongue 30 is thereby maintained spaced from the lower front edge 21 at the elongated hole 15 in the stationary hinge member 10 while the curved outer surface 21 at the bend between the tongue 30 and the depending leg 29 moves down past the back wall 17 of the hole 15 (Figs. 9 and 8), Thereafter, the adjustable hinge member pivots about the inner edges 34 and 35 at its bearing legs 32 and 33 (Fig. 7) until the adjustable hinge member 22 is fully retracted.

The adjustable hinge member 22 has been shown in its fully retracted or closed position (Fig. 6) in overlying relation with the stationary hinge member 1d. However, it will be readily apparent that the hinge might just as readily be arranged so that the adjustable hinge member 22 in its fully retracted or closed position extends outward beyond the stationary hinge member, with its mounting portion 23 extending away from the stationary hinge member 10 rather than overlying it.

While in the foregoing description there has been disclosed a specific preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is to be understood that various modifications, omissions and refinements which depart from the illustrated form of the invention may be adopted without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A separable hinge construction comprising, in combination, a first hinge member formed with a hole at a fiat portion intermediate its ends which has a front wall having spaced upper and lower edges and a back wall spaced from said front wall, and a second hinge member having a fiat mounting portion, a first leg depending from said mounting portion, a tongue extending forwardly from the lower end of said first leg substantially parallel to said mounting portion, and a bent portion interconnecting the lower end of said first leg and said tongue and providing thereat a rear curved surface joining the back face of said first leg and the lower face of said tongue, said first leg and said tongue having a thickness less than the spacing between the front and back walls of the hole in the first hinge member and being dimensioned to pass through said hole in the first hinge member, and a second leg depending from said mounting portion of the second hinge member and extending forwardly therefrom and projecting forwardly beyond said first leg, said second leg at its outer end presenting a rear edge engaging a fiat portion of the upper face of said first hinge member when said first leg extends through the hole in said first hinge member substantially parallel to said front and back walls of said hole and said tongue underlies said first hinge member forwardly beyond said hole therein, said rear edge of the outer end of said second leg as the second hinge member is turned initially in a direction to pull its tongue away from underlying relation with the first hinge member engaging the upper face of the first hinge member and defining the pivot for said second hinge member for the initial turning of the second hinge member, said rear edge sliding forwardly across said upper face of the first hinge member to position said first leg in engagement with the upper edge of the front wall of said hole and to maintain said first leg away from engagement with the lower edge of the front wall of said hole as said curved back surface at the bend between the first leg and the tongue initially moves past the back wall of said hole, said second leg at its outer end presenting a forward edge spaced from said rear edge by the thickness of said second leg, said forward edge engaging the upper face of the first hinge member and sliding thereacross to bring said tongue in engagement with the upper edge of the front wall of said hole and defining the pivot for 'said second hinge member upon continued turning of the second hinge member in the same direction and continued movement of said curved back surface at the bend between the first leg and the tongue past the back wall of said hole.

2. A separable hinge construction comprising, in combination, a first hinge member having a hole intermediate its ends, and a second hinge member having a mounting portion, a iirst leg depending from said mounting portion perpendicular thereto, a tongue connected to the lower end of said rst leg and extending forwardly therefrom, said first leg and tongue being dimensioned to pass through said hole in the first hinge member for positioning said tongue in underlying relation with the first hinge member, and a second leg depending from said mounting portion at an angle less than ninety degrees and extending forwardly therefrom, said second leg at its outer end providing a rear edge for engagement initially with the upper face of the first hinge member and which defines the pivot for the second hinge member when the second hinge member is turned initially to pull said first leg through said hole in the first hinge member and to displace said tongue from underlying relation with the first hinge member.

3. A separable hinge construction comprising, in combination, a first hinge member having a hole at a flat portion intermediate its ends, and a second hinge member having a flat mounting portion, a first leg depending from said mounting portion, a tongue connected to the lower end of said first leg and extending forwardly therefrom substantially parallel to said mounting portion, said iirst leg and tongue being dimensioned to pass through said hole in the first hinge member for positioning said iirst leg to extend through said hole and said tongue underlying the first hinge member, and a pair of bearing legs depending from said mounting portion on opposite sides of said first leg and terminating short of the lower end of said rst leg, said bearing legs at their respective lower ends providing rear edges for engagement initially with a fiat portion of the upper face of the first hinge member and which define the pivot for the second hinge member when the second hinge member is turned initially to pull said first leg through said hole in the first hinge member and to displace said tongue from underlying relation with the first hinge member, said bearing legs at their respective outer ends presenting forward edges spaced from said rear edges for engagement with the upper face of the first hinge member and which define the pivot for said second hinge member upon continued turning of the second hinge member in the same direction.

4. A separable hinge construction comprising, in combination, a iirst hinge member having a hole intermediate its ends, and a second hinge member having a generally Z-shaped configuration including a mounting portion, a first leg depending from said mounting portion, a tongue connected to said first leg in spaced relation from said mounting portion of the second hinge member and extending forwardly therefrom, said lirst leg and tongue being dimensioned to pass through said hole in the first hinge member, and a second leg depending from and extending transversely of said mounting portion of the second hinge member toward said tongue, said second leg at its outer end presenting a rear edge for engagement initially with the first hinge member which defines the pivot for the second hinge member when the second hinge member is turned initially to pull said first leg through said hole in the first hinge member, Said second leg at its outer end presenting a forward edge spaced from said rear edge for engagement with the upper face of the first hinge member andv which defines the pivot for said second hinge member upon continued turning of the second hinge member in the same direction.

5. A separable hinge construction comprising, in combination, a first hinge member formed with a hole intermediate its ends which has a front wall having spaced upper and lower edges and a back wall spaced from said front wall, and a second hinge member having a generally Z-shaped configuration and including a mounting portion, a iirst leg depending from said mounting portion, a tongue extending forwardly from the lower end of said rst leg, said first leg and said tongue having a thickness less than the spacing between the front and back walls of the hole in the rst hinge member and being dimensioned to pass through said hole in the first hinge member, and a second leg depending from and extending transversely of said mounting portion of the second hinge member and terminating with its outer vend disposed laterally of said first leg at the side thereof from which said tongue extends, said second leg at its outer end spaced from said tongue and presenting a rear edge engaging the upper face of said first hinge member when said first leg extends through the hole in said first hinge member substantially parallel to said front and back walls of said hole and said tongue underlies said first hinge member forwardly beyond said hole therein, said rear edge of the outer end of said second leg as the second hinge member is turned initially in a direction to pull its tongue away from underlying relation with the iirst hinge member engaging the upper face of the first hinge member and defining the pivot for said second hinge member for the initial turning of the second hinge member, said rear edge sliding forwardly across said upper face of the first hinge member to position said first leg in engagement with the upper edge of the front wall of said hole and to maintain said first leg away from engagement with the lower edge of the front wall of said hole as said iirst leg is pulled out through said hole, said second leg at its outer end presenting a forward edge spaced from said rear edge by the thickness of said second leg, said forward edge engaging the upper face of the first hinge member and sliding forward thereacross to bring said tongue in engagement with the upper edge of the front wall of said hole and defining the pivot for said second hinge member upon continued turning of the second hinge member in the same direction.

6. A separable hinge construction comprising, in combination, a iirst hinge member formed with a hole at a flat portion intermediate its ends which has a front wall having spaced upper and lower edges and a back wall spaced from said front wall, and a second hinge member having a fiat mounting portion, a first leg depending from said mounting portion perpendicular thereto, a tongue extending forwardly from the lower end of said first leg parallel to said mounting portion, and a bent portion interconnecting the lower end of said first leg and said tongue and providing a rear curved surface joining the back face of said first leg and the lower face of said tongue, said first leg and tongue having a thickness less than the spacing between the front and back walls of the hole in the first hinge member and being dimensioned to pass through said hole in the iirst hinge member for positioning said first leg to extend through said hole in the first hinge member and said tongue in underlying relation with the first hinge member, and a pair of bearing legs depending from said mounting portion of the second hinge member at an angle less than ninety degrees and projecting forwardly therefrom beyond said first leg, said bearing legs being located respectively on opposite sides of said first leg and terminating short of the lower end of said first leg, said bearing legs at their respective lower ends providing rear edges engaging a fiat portion of the upper face of said first hinge member when said first leg extends through said hole in the rst hinge member substantially parallel to said front and back walls thereof and said tongue underlies said first hinge member forwardly beyond said hole therein, said rear edges on the lower ends of said bearing legs as the second hinge member is turned initially in a direction to'pull its tongue away from underlying relation with the first hinge member engaging the upper face of the first hinge member and defining the pivot for said second hinge member for 7 the initial turning of the second hinge member, said rear edges sliding forwardly across said upper face of the first hinge member to maintain the front face of said first leg in engagement with the upper edge of the front wall of said hole and to maintain said front face of said rst leg spaced from engagement with the lower edge of the front wall of said hole as said rear curved surface at the bend between the rst leg and tongue initially moves up past the back wall of said hole, said bearing legs at their respective outer ends presenting forward edges spaced from said rear edges by the respective thickness of said bearing legs, said forward edges engaging the upper face of the rst hinge member and sliding thereacross to 8 bring said tongue in engagement with the upper edge of the front wall of said hole and defining the pivot for said second hing'emernber upon continued turning of the second hinge member in the same direction and continued movement of said curved back surface at the bend between the rst leg and the tongue past the back wall of said hole.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

